Food Worth a Drive in Illinois: Horseshoes to Galena

Food worth a drive in Illinois begins where Chicago's skyline fades in the rear window. The state's best road trip meals are often at the end of a two lane road: the Springfield horseshoe sandwich, the restaurants of Galena and the diners of old Route 66.

What is the Springfield horseshoe sandwich?

The horseshoe is Springfield's signature dish, and it is a lesson in excess. One description says it consists of thick-sliced toasted bread, often Texas toast, a hamburger patty and french fries, all coated with cheese sauce. Another describes a Springfield horseshoe trail of restaurants that serve it. A Route 66 history notes that the dish was created at the Leland Hotel, where travelers once stayed when the highway was at its peak.

A horseshoe is a meal for a hungry person or a snack for two. Order a small version if the menu offers one, and eat it with a fork. Many kitchens sell a smaller portion, often called a pony shoe, which is a sensible choice if you plan to eat at more than one stop.

The dish is also a conversation starter. Springfield residents have strong opinions about the cheese sauce, the toast and the fries, and a question to the person at the next table will usually earn a recommendation. That kind of local advice is the best map for a food trip.

Where can you eat a horseshoe in Springfield?

Springfield pubs and diners serve horseshoes, and trying two side by side is the best way to find your favorite.

Visit Springfield publishes a trail map that lists participating restaurants. Pick two or three, order the same dish at each and decide for yourself which cook has the best cheese sauce. Menus change, so check before you go.

Which Galena restaurants are worth the trip?

Galena is a small town in the northwest corner of the state, known for its historic main street and its hills. The main street holds restaurants for most moods, from Italian American dinners in brick and stone to steakhouses, and a winery nearby makes a good wine stop.

Galena is about three hours from Chicago by car, so it works as an overnight trip. Book ahead on weekends and in the fall, when visitors come for the foliage.

What is Route 66 food in Illinois?

Route 66 food in Illinois is a nostalgic subject. The road ran from Chicago to St. Louis through towns that still have diners, drive-ins and filling station cafes. The Springfield horseshoe is the most famous dish, and the road also shaped the way Illinois eats breakfast, with plates of eggs, hash browns and pie.

Plan a drive south on the old route, and stop where the signs look promising. Read roadside plaques, and ask locals about their favorite pie. A roadside meal is as much about the room as the plate.

The road's appeal is its pace. Towns appear every ten or fifteen minutes, and each one has a main street, a diner or a bakery. A trip that would take two hours on the interstate becomes a day on the old highway, and that slowness is the reason to go.

What small town food does Illinois offer?

Illinois small town food is built from the state's farms. In summer, look for corn, tomatoes and melons at roadside stands. In fall, look for pumpkin pie, which is the state's official pie, along with apple cider and donuts from orchards. Diners and church suppers serve fried chicken, pork chops and pie.

The most reliable method is to ask a gas station attendant or a shopkeeper where the locals eat lunch. A busy parking lot on a weekday is a good sign.

How do you plan food worth a drive in Illinois?

Pick a theme. A horseshoe weekend takes you to Springfield and back. A Galena weekend takes you northwest. A Route 66 day follows the old highway south and west. Do not try to do all three at once, because Illinois is a larger state than visitors expect.

Check hours before you drive, since small town restaurants often close one or two days a week. Bring a cooler for pie and cider, and carry small bills for roadside stands.

What else should you eat around Illinois?

Start the trip with a stop in Chicago. The Chicago food halls guide covers a place to graze before you go, and the best tacos in Chicago guide covers a lunch worth the line. For a trip across the river, read food worth a drive in Missouri. The US guides page lists more.

How can Mosey help on an Illinois road trip?

Rate five different places of the same kind and the Mosey app starts handing out badges, so a few weekends spent on small-town diners, bakeries and cheese shops leave a visible trail of what you have tried.

A road trip meal is easy to remember and hard to rank. Get the Mosey app, rate each stop by its dish, its room and its welcome, and build an Illinois list that tells you which exit to take next time.